5.11 Compound words — reading a 30-letter noun — Epoché
What you will be able to do Take any German compound apart from the right: Haustürschlüssel is a key, for the door, of the house. Know that the last part decides the gender and the basic meaning: die Hand + der Schuh = der Handschuh . Recognise the linking elements between the parts — -s- , -n- , -en- , -er- — and know that they carry no meaning of their own. Learn fifty-five common compounds as combinations of words you already know. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Ich finde meine Brille nicht. [1] I can't find my glasses. Könnten Sie einen Augenblick auf mich warten? [2] Could you wait a moment for me? Du kannst deine Brille auf den Nachttisch legen. [3] You can put your glasses on the bedside table. Was hast du in deiner Hosentasche? [4] What do you have in your pocket? Das ist lange vor deiner Geburt passiert. [5] That happened long before you were born. Wir waren von Sonnenaufgang bis Sonnenuntergang unterwegs. [6] We were on the road from sunrise till sunset. Was hat deine Zahnbürste in meiner Kaffeetasse zu suchen? [7] What is your toothbrush doing in my coffee mug? Das Magazin erscheint wöchentlich. [8] The magazine comes out once a week. Prerequisites : 5.10 — you need the nouns of the previous vocabulary lessons, 5.7 Vocabulary to 5.10 Vocabulary , and the plural patterns from 2.4 Grammar . German writes compound nouns as one word. Where English says bedroom window or dentist appointment with a space, German writes Schlafzimmerfenster and Zahnarzttermin . To a beginner these look like monsters. In fact they are the friendliest words in the language: almost every long noun is made of short ones you know, put together in the same order as English. This lesson gives you a method for reading them and fifty-five everyday compounds to practise on. The method Find the last part. It is the head: it says what kind of thing the compound is, and it gives the gender. Handschuh is a kind of Schuh , so it is der Handschuh . Work leftwards. Each part to the left narrows the meaning of everything to its right: Tür-schlüssel is a key for a door, Haus-tür-schlüssel a key for the front door. Strip the linking element. Between parts you may find an extra -s- , -n- , -en- or -er- . It joins the parts and has no meaning: Geburt-s-tag , Sonne-n-brille , Kind-er-wagen . Read it as English. The order is the English order of a noun with a noun in front of it: birth day , sun glasses , baby carriage . Sometimes the first part is a verb stem or an adjective rather than a noun: Schreib-maschine , a machine for writing; Frei-zeit , free time. The method is the same. Word list Fifty-five compounds, grouped by how they are joined. The gender is always that of the last part. Two nouns, no linking element Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes der Handschuh（-e） de glove Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs hand shoe Es ist ein Handschuh. [9] It's a glove. der Zahnarzt（¨-e） de dentist Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs tooth doctor Er wurde Zahnarzt. [10] He became a dentist. die Handtasche（-n） de handbag Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs hand bag , the same structure Das ist deine Handtasche. [11] This is your handbag. der Briefkasten（¨-） de letter box, mailbox Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs letter box Waren Briefe im Briefkasten? [12] Were there any letters in the letter box? die Briefmarke（-n） de postage stamp Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs letter mark Die Briefmarke löste sich. [13] The stamp came off. der Weltkrieg（-e） de world war Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs world war Wird es einen Dritten Weltkrieg geben? [14] Will there be a Third World War? die Zahnbürste（-n） de toothbrush Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs tooth brush Du brauchst eine Zahnbürste. [15] You need a toothbrush. der Schneemann（¨-er） de snowman Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs snow man Das ist ein Schneemann. [16] It's a snowman. die Haustür（-en） de front door Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs house door Die Haustür blieb verschlossen. [17] The front door remained locked. das Haustier（-e） de pet Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs house animal Ich will ein Haustier. [18] I want a pet. die Hausnummer（-n） de house number Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs house number Ich habe mich in der Hausnummer geirrt. [19] I got the house number wrong. der Hausschuh（-e） de slipper Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs house shoe Er schlug mich sogar mit einem Hausschuh. [20] He even hit me with a slipper. der Nachttisch（-e） de bedside table Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs night table Meine ist auf dem Nachttisch. [21] Mine is on the bedside table. die Bettdecke（-n） de duvet, blanket Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs bed cover Könnte ich eine neue Bettdecke bekommen? [22] Can I get another blanket? die Bauchschmerzen de stomach ache Gender / part of speech plural noun How English differs belly pains ; plural in German Hast du Bauchschmerzen? [23] Do you have stomach pain? die Halsschmerzen de sore throat Gender / part of speech plural noun How English differs throat pains ; plural in German Ich habe Halsschmerzen. [24] I have a sore throat. der Fingernagel（¨-） de fingernail Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs the same structure Sehen Sie unter den Fingernagel. [25] Look under the fingernail. die Wasserflasche（-n） de water bottle Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs the same structure Meine Wasserflasche ist leer. [26] My water bottle is empty. die Kaffeetasse（-n） de coffee cup Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs the same structure Die Kaffeetasse ist randvoll. [27] The